Long, Lean, Low,& Mean

Take a g-ride in this land cruiser

It's not your average Super Chevy-type feature car, but then there is nothing average about this car. Keeping up with the Joneses is the last thing that owner/builder Chris Bassett had in mind. Just in case there are a few of you wondering what you're looking at, this sleek phantom-like Chevrolet is a '60 Biscayne. Why a Biscayne? Why not? Chris is no stranger to working with cars; he works with them all day long. Being a manager at C.A.R.S., he is privy to the inside scoop of who is doing what and how they are doing it.

When it came time to build his own street machine, visions of Camaros and Chevelles were not entertained for very long. As Chris put it "I wanted to do something different, you don't see many of these cars running around." That dream machine was lying dormant at home in the family garage. In 1997, Chris purchased the Biscayne from a friend in Washington State. At the time of its purchase, it had only 32,000 miles on it, but as Chris says "It was a mess, and very rough." Once the big car was home, he jumped on it like a hobo on a ham sandwich. But somewhere along the way something happened. It wasn't a typical case of buyer's remorse or a busted bank account. It was a case of dissatisfaction, the kind you experience on Christmas morning when you open a present from your grandma only to find an itchy wool sweater you have to wear for a whole year. Well, maybe that's a bit dramatic. But when Chris was done with his first rebuild and restoration of the Biscayne, he flat out didn't like it and now, he had to look at it all the time.

For nearly seven years, the Biscayne just sat there, and like an old girlfriend that won't go away, it was a constant reminder of what he didn't like. But that was about change. In 2004, the dormant Biscayne was scheduled for a full frame-off restoration. The body was separated from the frame, put on a rotisserie, and media blasted. After the body was clean, it was sent to Shane East at Jim East Autobody. Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, the frame had been powdercoated and made ready for a life-changing operation.

Back in the day, when you turned a corner in these long land yachts, the occupants would roll around in the cab like dice in a Yahtzee cup--not today. With modern upgrades, it could cut corners with the best of them and the pilot and crew could continue cruising in style! Some of the latest and greatest suspension components and brakes were on the top of the list, including: Air Ride technologies and Performance Online disc brakes on all four corners, KYB shocks, and Firestone springs. To complete the modern upgrade of his frame, Chris wisely chose Intro Wheels Matrix model wheels. Sporting 20s in the front and 22s out back, along with Pirelli P-Zero rubber, this large-barge Chevy was ready to handle some g's. Powering this big Bow-Tie is a basic 350-inch crate Mouse. Nothing too fancy here, just a proven combination backed by a smooth-shifting TH350 trans.

Once the frame and body were back together again, there was one last thing on the list. Ray Miller Custom Upholstery cut, tucked, snipped, and stitched the fine looking gray and black leather interior you see. From stem to stern and top to bottom, this Biscayne has received a new life like no other. It is now a long, lean, low, and mean-handling g-Machine.

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